Refactor — Multi-Target Refactoring Orchestrator
Trigger
- Keywords: refactor, cleanup, clean up, simplify code, restructure, tidy up, reduce complexity, batch refactor
- zh-TW: 重構, 整理, 清理, 簡化
When NOT to Use
| Scenario |
Alternative |
| New feature development |
/feature-dev |
| Bug fix |
/bug-fix |
| Code understanding |
/code-explore |
| Doc review only |
/codex-review-doc |
| Single file simplify (known target) |
/simplify directly |
| Remove AI artifacts (known doc) |
/de-ai-flavor directly |
Prohibited Actions
❌ git add | git commit | git push — per @rules/git-workflow.md
<budget:tokenbudget>150000</budget:tokenbudget>
Arguments
| Flag |
Default |
Description |
--target <path> |
— |
Specific file or directory (repo-relative) |
--auto |
— |
Auto-detect targets using inline metrics |
--max-targets N |
10 |
Maximum targets per run |
--mode reference-stability |
— |
Narrow pointer-conversion pass (see § Reference-Stability Targets). Requires explicit --target files — repeat the flag for multiple files (--target a.md --target b.js, ≤ 5); incompatible with --auto |
Workflow
Phase 0: Target Detection → Phase 2: Incremental Refactor Loop → Phase 3: Report
(Phase 1: reserved for v2 — parallel exploration)
Phase 0: Target Detection & Planning
--mode reference-stability Branch (checked first)
When this mode is passed, Phase 0 takes this branch and bypasses the generic pipeline below entirely — no AI-artifact heuristic, no refactor-catalog classification, and no v2 type skip (the mode accepts any maintained text file its transformation table covers: docs, code, tests, instruction surfaces — a .test.js target is valid here even though the generic path skips test files as v2). In code and test files, only comment and documentation regions are conversion candidates: executable strings, assertion expectations, fixtures, snapshots, generated content, and ordinary data are never touched — that is INV-005's boundary, and it is what makes skipping the behavioral gate sound (an eligible prose-only comment cannot change runtime behavior — tool-consumed directives and pragmas such as lint/type-checker directives or source-map metadata are not* eligible regions, since comments can carry machine semantics; anything that could change behavior is out of this mode's reach):
- Validate each
--target path (same path-safety rules as below)
- Enumerate: more than 5 files (after resolving any directory) →
[REFACTOR_BLOCKED] <target>: reference-stability accepts at most 5 enumerated files
- Reject
--auto: [REFACTOR_BLOCKED] --auto: incompatible with reference-stability
- Determine each file's review plane (doc vs code) for step 3 of the mode's loop
- Proceed to § Reference-Stability Targets — never to the generic code/doc paths
--target Mode
- Validate path (per
references/target-detection.md):
- Reject absolute paths (starts with /) - Reject .. traversal - Reject symlink escape (resolved path outside repo root) - Reject non-existent files - On rejection: [REFACTOR_BLOCKED] <path>: <reason>
- Detect file type:
- Use extension mapping from references/target-detection.md - For .md files: run AI artifact heuristic (scan for tool names, boilerplate, etc.; 3+ matches → doc-ai, else → doc-structure) - v2 types (config/shell/test): log [REFACTOR_SKIPPED] {target}: type not yet dispatched (v2) and skip
- Classify refactor types from
references/refactor-catalog.md (R01-R09 for v1)
--auto Mode
- (Optional) Baseline: Run
/project-audit to capture health score
- Scan repo for candidate files (code + doc)
- Score each candidate:
`` score = 0.40 × complexity + 0.35 × change_frequency + 0.25 × isolation ``
- complexity: wc -l <file> normalized 0-1 - changefrequency: git log --oneline -- <file> | wc -l normalized 0-1 - isolation: 1 - (importcount / maximportcount)
- Sort descending, take top
--max-targets (default 10)
- Classify each target's file type and refactor types
Phase 2: Incremental Refactor Loop
Process each target in priority order. Budget: max --max-targets targets per run.
Code Targets
FOR EACH code target:
1. /verify fast → capture baseline exit code
IF baseline exit ≠ 0:
[REFACTOR_SKIPPED] {target}: baseline failing, cannot verify preservation
CONTINUE
2. /simplify {target}
3. /verify fast → capture post-refactor exit code
4. Behavioral gate (per references/behavioral-gate.md):
IF BEHAVIOR_CHANGED (0→non-0):
[REFACTOR_SKIPPED] {target}: behavioral regression detected
CONTINUE
IF NO_TESTS (all steps skipped):
⚠️ NO_TESTS: behavioral preservation not verified (advisory, continue)
5. /codex-review-fast (auto-loop, max 3 rounds)
IF still blocked:
[REFACTOR_BLOCKED] {target}: review not passing after max rounds
CONTINUE
6. /precommit-fast (lint + test gate, per CLAUDE.md required flow)
IF ⛔ FAIL:
[REFACTOR_BLOCKED] {target}: precommit not passing
CONTINUE
7. Mark as committable
Doc Targets
Doc targets bypass the behavioral gate entirely — docs have no executable tests.
FOR EACH doc target:
1. Classify: AI artifact heuristic
IF doc-ai (3+ matches): dispatch /de-ai-flavor {target}
ELSE (doc-structure): dispatch /doc-refactor {target}
2. /codex-review-doc (auto-loop, max 3 rounds)
IF still blocked:
[REFACTOR_BLOCKED] {target}: review not passing after max rounds
CONTINUE
3. Mark as committable
Reference-Stability Targets (--mode reference-stability)
A narrow pointer-conversion pass, typically dispatched as the bounded adjustment for an ATTENTIONDIFFUSION / REFERENCEDRIFT stall (@skills/codex-code-review/references/loop-diagnostics.md § Attention-Diffusion Subtypes and the Banking Sequence). Its contract is deliberately tighter than the generic doc/code paths above:
| Rule |
Detail |
| Targets |
At most 5 explicitly enumerated files, --target only — never --auto; a directory target only after it resolves to ≤ 5 named files |
| Unit |
The file is the blast-radius unit: each target gets one complete pass over its eligible regions (comments/doc prose — never executable strings, assertions, fixtures, snapshots, or data); the per-file eligible-pointer count is measured and reported before editing, not capped |
| Transformation |
Homogeneous only: replace bare path:line pointers with path § heading (docs), path + symbol/function (code), path + named test case (tests), or path + flag/config key (instruction surfaces). A numeric hint survives only as "around line N" paired with a semantic anchor — never the sole locator (@rules/docs-writing.md § Durable References) |
| Forbidden |
Unrelated prose cleanup, restructuring, renaming, or de-AI-flavor riding along. A file whose pointers need per-pointer factual reinterpretation is not a stabilization pass — reclassify (DOCTOOLONG / UNVERIFIED_CLAIM) or split by section |
| Exempt content |
Point-in-time records (requests, ADRs, review logs), review evidence, scope proofs, and generated report formats keep exact file:line — never "updated" |
| Gate |
Edits re-open the plane; this mode's internal review/precommit are evidence, never the outer terminal verdict. The outer gate is still owed on the whole change afterwards |
| Git |
This mode performs no mutating git operation and creates no checkpoint/stash; it may suggest the user create a stash/WIP branch first — advisory prose, never a step |
FOR EACH reference-stability target (≤ 5):
1. Measure: count eligible bare path:line pointers (comment/doc regions only), report per file
2. Convert: homogeneous anchor transformation only
3. /codex-review-doc or /codex-review-fast per file type (auto-loop, max 3 rounds)
4. Mark as converted — outer whole-change gate still owed
v2 Targets
FOR EACH v2 target (config/shell/test):
[REFACTOR_SKIPPED] {target}: type not yet dispatched (v2)
CONTINUE
Phase 3: Report & Handoff
Per-Target Result Table
Output per references/output-template.md:
| # | Target | Type | Action | Gate | Result |
|---|--------|------|--------|------|--------|
Delta Report (--auto only)
If Phase 0 captured /project-audit baseline:
- Run
/project-audit again
- Compare dimension scores (before vs after)
- Output delta table
User Handoff
Generic refactors: list committable files. Suggest /smart-commit --execute (no auto-commit per @rules/git-workflow.md).
Reference-stability mode has its own handoff — no commit suggestion. Report each target as converted with its pointer count, state that the outer whole-change gate remains owed, and return control. /smart-commit --execute may be offered only after that outer pass is noted (the banking sequence in @skills/codex-code-review/references/loop-diagnostics.md § Attention-Diffusion Subtypes and the Banking Sequence); calling converted files "committable" here would offer the commit before the pass.
Review Loop
⚠️ Per @rules/auto-loop.md: fix → re-review → ... → ✅ Pass
| After editing... |
Immediately run |
| Code files |
/codex-review-fast |
| Doc files |
/codex-review-doc |
Verification Checklist
Generic refactors:
Reference-stability mode (the behavioral gate does not apply — the mode runs no /simplify):
Examples
/refactor --target src/utils.ts # Refactor single code file
/refactor --target docs/guide.md # Refactor single doc file
/refactor --target src/ # Refactor all code in directory
/refactor --auto # Auto-detect up to 10 targets
/refactor --auto --max-targets 5 # Auto with budget cap
/refactor --mode reference-stability --target docs/features/<feature>/2-tech-spec.md --target scripts/lib/<module>.js
# Pointer conversion only; handoff reports
# "converted; outer gate owed" — no commit suggestion